Removable Harddrive LED Mod

[su root]

I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Finally got around to doing it. And good news too: I didn't blow anything up!
(click on any picture to see the full sized version)

Idea:
=>
The idea is to LED-mod my removeable harddrive, with a catch. I wanted the LEDs to act like the HDD light, where they only turned on when the harddrive was busy.

So... here's how I did it:

Components Needed:

1x Removeable Harddrive, with a grill or something to let the light out
1 x Spool o' Wire
1 x Switch (optional:should you want to turn it off)
2 x 3000 MCD Red LEDs, with a 3-5v tolerance.
1 x Roll of Electrical Tape

Tools Needed:
Wire Stripper or Scissors
Soldering Iron
Solder (optional)
Knife
Magnifying Glass (optional)

My Total cost (CDN): $2.00.. (I had everything except for the LEDs.)

Here is the inside of the Harddrive Enclosure before:


First step is to remove everything. Mine allows me to remove the connector at the back for easy access to the wires.

Next, locate the correct wire on the bus. Harddrives usually ground pin #77 (or, on a 40-pin cable, #39) when they are busy... So the idea here is to give the LEDs +5, and ground them to that pin (so that when the harddrive is busy, it'll close the connection, completing the circuit.
On a 40-pin cable, it should be pin #39 (the 2nd last one). The marked end is pin #1.
On a 80-pin cable, it should be pin #77 (the third from the end). The 80-pin cable is the same as the 40-pin cable, except that there is a ground pin put between every wire. (78 would be the ground for 77, 79 would be the last pin, and 80 would be it's ground)


Cut it out very carefully, as not to distrub any wires around it.

(continued... more than 5? images)

 

[su root]

For some reason the 10-image limit is only 5 for me.....

Next, I assembled the rest of the circuit:

Starting from the right, the wire there goes into the positive (long) lead to the LED (and will be connected to the +5 rail). The LEDs are connected from the negative on the right LED to positive on the left LED. Then the negative on the left LED is connected to the switch, with a wire free that will be grounded to pin #77. I used couplers (the blue things) as an easy way to connect the LEDs.. jam one lead from the LED into one side, and a wire into the other, crimp it down, and voila, clean connectivity.

Next heat up your soldering iron. These wires are too tiny to be left up to a wire stripper, scissors, or any other method, so just melt off the outer coating with the soldering iron. Melt pin #77, and the red power wire (that's the +5v):


Note that in both pictures the wires are not broken, the jackets are just melted off. If this is overly difficult to do, you can cut pin #77. By doing so, your LEDs will only be grounded when the removeable harddrive is busy... If you leave the wire connected, it light up whenever the bus is busy (including the IDE controller being busy, or the other device being busy, if connected).

(continued again)

 

[su root]

Now connect the LED setup from earlier. The side with the switch is connected to pin #77 ("the ground"), and the other side is connected to the +5 rail.

Solder it in place, tape it up so you have no exposed wires, and it should resemble this:


Then cross your fingers and plug it in.


I really like how mine came out. 3000 candle power is a good number.. nice and bright Take a look at the 2nd image I posted... the camera corrected for the brightness, so it's hard to tell how bright it really is... look how dim my case LEDs are On the last picture, there is a rim of light at the top.. that wouldn't be there if I had put the top of the removeable enclosure back on.

Edit: added video capture image

 

[CrystalMethod]

Dude! That's sweet looking!

 

[DJ Spike]

Owk! Nice one!
Not to be some sort of a weener, but woudn't it be more simple to connect LED's to your HDD connection on your mobo? I have replaced the ugle orange one with a blue one, think it can handle more... A little more easy to mod... That's why yours is great!

 

[DaWiper]

Owk! Nice one!
Not to be some sort of a weener, but woudn't it be more simple to connect LED's to your HDD connection on your mobo?

Cuz then his led would flash if other drives are busy too....
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su root>Nice mod by the way. That I have to try some day.....

 

[OKJEFF4]

And he wants the LED to be removable with the drive if I read correctly.

 

[su root]

Thanks guys

Yeah, I wanted the drive to be completely removeable (as I use it at school). It would be easier to plug it into the HDD headers on the mobo, but that ties the drive down, might not supply enough power, and as DaWiper said, it would flash if any bus is busy (which, in my system is 4 buses)

 

[Oni]

Good job, d00d!

Next thing you know, we'll finally be cutting out the speed holes on that ghetto case of yours

 

[Alice]

Nice one. Has it given anyone a seizure?

 

[suicidalmole]

thats a hot idea....and damn...those leds are bright compared to the other ones on your case.....

 

[su root]

Nice one. Has it given anyone a seizure?

Not yet, but some of my friends suggested that I use the superbrights (5000 MCD) or Laser LEDs, should I never want to sleep again, blind whoever's looking at it, and give everyone an instant tan.

They are pretty bright if you stare right into them. Generally they're at a level that is below the line of sight, so you can see the grill light up nicely though, dispite any other surrounding light. At night time, it's easy to illuminate the back wall of my room